Bike theft is a serious problem faced by many people, with one major target being college students. On college campuses, most students have very demanding schedules and very little time to spare. The two main bike locks on the market utilize either a flexible cable or chain that uses either a padlock or incorporates a built in locking mechanism to attach the two ends together, or more popularly and more secure, is a solid bar lock shaped like a U or D with the locking device closing the open ends of the curved bar, and thus securing the bike. Both of the current styles of locks use either a combination code or key to unlock the lock.
Although, in most cases these locks may deter theft they leave the owner inconvenienced and wasting time everyday. Both of these locks have their problems. A combination lock is great until the sun goes down. Because the numbers on the combination are not illuminated the lock becomes hard to operate. An external light is needed, such as a cell phone, to light up the combination numbers. These locks can also be difficult to unlock when they are locked up in a crowded bike rack. You can find your bike lock angled in ways that make it difficult to input your combo. The key locks also cause problems. They are inconvenient because the owner must always carry around that key, and for people who don't have other keys this can be a inconvenient. These keys are also easily lost and are not smooth and efficient during operation. Both of these locks simply waste too much time.